Dishwasher appliances generally include a tub that defines a wash compartment. Rack assemblies can be mounted within the wash compartment of the tub for receipt of articles for washing. Spray assemblies within the wash compartment can apply or direct wash fluid towards articles disposed within the rack assemblies in order to clean such articles. Multiple spray assemblies can be provided including e.g., a lower spray arm assembly mounted to the tub at a bottom of the wash compartment, a mid-level spray arm assembly mounted to one of the rack assemblies, and/or an upper spray assembly mounted to the tub at a top of the wash compartment. Other configurations may be used as well.
A dishwashing appliance is typically equipped with at least one pump for circulating fluid through the spray assemblies. However, due to e.g., government regulations related to energy and/or water usage, the pump may not be able to supply fluid to all spray assemblies at the same time. Accordingly, a dishwashing appliance that can be configured to selectively control the flow through different spray assemblies or other fluid elements would be useful.
Certain conventional dishwashing appliances use a device, referred to as a diverter, to control the flow of fluid in the dishwashing appliance. For example, the diverter can be used to selectively control which flow assemblies receive a flow of fluid. In one construction, the diverter uses an electrically powered motor to rotate an element between different ports for fluid control. The motor adds a significant expense to the overall manufacturing cost of the dishwashing appliance and must be separately controlled during cleaning operations so that the proper flow is occurring.
Additionally, the motor is typically positioned below the diverter, which is positioned below the sump portion of the appliance. As such, significant space is consumed which can reduce the space available in the dishwashing compartment for placement of dishes, glasses, silverware, and other items for cleaning.
In another construction, a diverter uses a hydraulically actuated rotation mechanism to rotate the diverter valve such that it rotates between flow assemblies without the need for a motor. Notably, however, this type of diverter requires additional means for determining its angular position at any given time. For example, one method used for determining the angular position of such a diverter is placing a magnet in a rotating portion of the diverter valve and using a stationary sensor, e.g., a Hall effect sensor, to determine the position of the magnet. However, such means for determining the angular position of the diverter valve require additional parts, resulting in additional cost and complexity.
Thus, a hydraulically actuated diverter that does not require a separate angular position sensor would be beneficial, resulting in a savings in both costs and space.